Sarah Wilson, the former corporate pilot turned open-cockpit barnstormer, initiated the $5,000 Jimmie Allen Flying Club Scholarship to encourage future pilots who also are looking for something different from their flying. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Aug. 9.

What can make a former Navy corpsman and a Harley-Davidson engineer giggle with pure joy? Their first takeoff. Watch as three students hop in the left seat for the first time and experience the thrill of flight in these One Week Ready to Solo webisodes.

Student Pilot

What can make a former Navy corpsman and a Harley-Davidson engineer giggle with pure joy? Their first takeoff. Watch as three students hop in the left seat for the first time and experience the thrill of flight in these One Week Ready to Solo webisodes.

Civil Air Patrol cadet Josh Thompson, 16, could barely contain his pride and enthusiasm after soloing a Cessna 172 during a National Flight Academy solo camp in July at Fort Pickett Army National Guard Base in Blackstone, Virginia.